The End of the Innocence Lyrics
And rolled beneath a deep blue sky
Didn't have a care in the world
With mommy and daddy standing by
When "happily ever after" fails
And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales
The lawyers dwell on small details
Since daddy had to fly
But I know a place where we can go
That's still untouched by man
We'll sit and watch the clouds roll by
And the tall grass wave in the wind
You can lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair fall all around me
Offer up your best defense
But this is the end
This is the end of the innocence
O' beautiful, for spacious skies
But now those skies are threatening
They're beating plowshares into swords
For this tired old man that we elected king
Armchair warriors often fail
And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales
The lawyers clean up all details
Since daddy had to lie
But I know a place where we can go
wash away their sin
We'll sit and watch the clouds roll by
And the tall grass wave in the wind
Just lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair spill all around me
Offer up your best defense
But this is the end
This is the end of the innocence
Who knows how long this will last
Now we've come so far, so fast
But, somewhere back there in the dust
That same small town in each of us
I need to remember this
So baby give me just one kiss
And let me take a long last look
Before we say good bye
Just lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair fall all around me
Offer up your best defense
But this is the end
This is the end of the innocence
This song is made up of three major parts, connected by the theme of a place that's still pure and untainted by the harsh realities of the world (more likely than not, it's less of a real place than a theme used to underline the childlike innocence that disappears as we get older). The narrator can take the person he's singing to there, and they can lie there together in happiness... but it's just an illusion, and no matter what they do, they'll eventually have to accept that they'll have to deal with the real world.
The first verse symbolizes the happy dream of a family, with a loving childhood and parents who stay together forever -- but "happily ever after fails" and the family falls apart, since "daddy had to fly." The narrator reflects that they've been "poisoned by these fairy tales" because it led them to believe that things would always be perfect, and the "lawyers dwell on small details" coldly, without regard for the happiness that should have been.
In the second verse, the theme of innocence is shifted to the USA -- "O Beautiful, for spacious skies" evoking "America the Beautiful" -- but in the course of the Reagan Administration ("The tired old man we elected King") that goes wrong, and suddenly there are scandals, and harsh stances against the Soviets that seem to invite conflict. Once again, the illusion of America as the bastion of righteousness evaporates, and the "lawyers clean up all details" in the aftermath of the scandals, since "Daddy" (Reagan again) acted un-Presidential and "had to lie."
The third and final verse takes the loss of innocence to a more personal level, as the narrator reflects back on his time with the girl he loves. They are both on the cusp of adulthood, having "come so far so fast." Though they share the "same small town in each of us" from their past, he realizes that their lives will take them along separate paths, so he wants to share one last pure, innocent moment with her ("I need to remember this"), "before we say goodbye."
And so, childhood ideals, sincere patriotism, and pure first love give way to the harsh realities of the adult world.
very well done-- I think you see the bigger picture and by identifying the underlying theme aren't constrained by the need to force one metaphor to fit the whole song
very well done-- I think you see the bigger picture and by identifying the underlying theme aren't constrained by the need to force one metaphor to fit the whole song
I've been pondering the meaning for awhile now so I do a search today and find your explanation, I like it and accept it, Thanks
I've been pondering the meaning for awhile now so I do a search today and find your explanation, I like it and accept it, Thanks
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Well, of course you can all have your theories about virginity and stuff, but oh man, I'm pretty sure that's not what Don Henley had in mind when he wrote it...if you haven't noticed, Mr. Henley is a very very politically and socially conscious activist.
The song is about the Reagan era and the Iran-Contra Affair (Even the video for the song shows pictures of Reagan and Oliver North).
The first verse is about the Innocence of America - the fairy tale America that we all live in, where things are perfect and picturesque, small town goodness and sweetness, the innocence of the American childhood, the American Dream.
But that innocent picture is an illusion, shattered by the lies and misdealings of the leaders of our country. The lawyers had to "clean up all the details" of Oliver North and Reagan's misdealings, which smeared and tarnished America...
"Oh beautiful, for spacious skies" (America the Beautiful) But now those skies are threatning - (This has nothing nothing to do with a woman's virginity)
"They're beating plowshares into swords, for this Tired Old Man that we elected King" - Who makes up our soldiers? People from innocent small town America, the farmers, the mid-westerners...the Tired Old Man is Reagan
And the last verse is a beautiful homage to regret, how we have to leave behind our Innocence and say goodbye to it, but that American Dream, that Innocence will always be in our hearts...
Please trust me on this analysis - I first heard this song as a 9 year old girl visiting Texas - this song is my most favourite song in the whole wide world - I've spent the past 17 years thinking about this beautiful song...when I die, they'll be playing it at my funeral ;)
I get a kick out of it too, because now I'm a lawyer ;)
@sthampi I agree with this analysis. And you may not want to respond after reading this... but its the reason I dont like this song. I will never compromise myself for anyone, or anything. But I am very curious, who is the “me” in these verses? “Lay your head all around me”.
@sthampi I agree with this analysis. And you may not want to respond after reading this... but its the reason I dont like this song. I will never compromise myself for anyone, or anything. But I am very curious, who is the “me” in these verses? “Lay your head all around me”.
Cheers
Cheers
Bruce Hornsby co-wrote it,you can actually hear it-other then Don Henley singing,it sounds like a Bruce Hornsby song.
@emuInAmuumuu I was just listening to it for the first time in many, many years and was immediately struck by the fact that it sounded like a Bruce Hornsby song. The rhythm is shockingly reminiscent to "The Way It Is." Now I know why. Thanks!
@emuInAmuumuu I was just listening to it for the first time in many, many years and was immediately struck by the fact that it sounded like a Bruce Hornsby song. The rhythm is shockingly reminiscent to "The Way It Is." Now I know why. Thanks!
I had never really questioned my interpretation of this song, because I thought it was clearly about divorce, and more specifically about the effect of divorce on children. Then I read the comments here and elsewhere and everybody seems to think it's about Sputnik or God knows what. Well, I still think it's about divorce, from the point of view of a father that is spending an afternoon with his child before having to leave her; the innocence being lost is that of the child. Yes, there is clearly some confusing stuff about Reagan in there, but look at the lines
"Didn't have a care in the world With mommy and daddy standin' by But "happily ever after" fails And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales The lawyers dwell on small details Since daddy had to fly"
This could be the whole song right there: we don't all get to live "happily ever after" as we've been led to believe that we will as children, and at some moment in our lives we figure this sad truth out. The "lawyers" lines make perfect sense to anyone who has been involved in child custody negotiations.
I guess I could be wrong. I always assumed that this song was about Henley's divorce, but wikipedia doesn't say anything about him being divorced, so hey, maybe it is about the Cold War in some weird way. But it REALLY sounds like divorce to me.
When I read the lyrics of this song, I think of a young boy remembering the innocence of growing up in a small town with parents who once loved each other. It seems as though this boy is setting the expectation for his girlfriend that, at some point, he will fall prey to his father's selfish (and maybe adulterous) ways and will leave the ones who love him behind.
When I read the lyrics of this song, I think of a young boy remembering the innocence of growing up in a small town with parents who once loved each other. It seems as though this boy is setting the expectation for his girlfriend that, at some point, he will fall prey to his father's selfish (and maybe adulterous) ways and will leave the ones who love him behind.
When I envision this "place" where they can go untouched by men, I think of an open rural hill where they can still enjoy the innocence of their youth, knowing that...
When I envision this "place" where they can go untouched by men, I think of an open rural hill where they can still enjoy the innocence of their youth, knowing that the clouds are coming to disrupt the relationships in his life.
"This tired old man that we elected king" seems to be the ideological view of the husband/father of the household. The lawyers cleaning up the mess, the plowshares into swords and the daddy's lies could be this man's way of trying to make a clean and heartless break from the family he left behind without showing any accountability or accepting any responsibility.
Near the end when the boy asks for one last kiss, I get the feeling that he is caving into this self-proclaimed inevitability of stepping into his father's footsteps of broken promises. He wants to remember this scene, but even if she offers up her best defense, this is his fate. He's telling her that this moment is the end of the innocence.
I have no idea if that is Don Henley's meaning, but that is how I interpreted it, which is what I love about music...different meanings to different people.
OMG...I love this song. It's about how things aren't always going to be the same forever...and you just have to live with it, however it turns out to be. Great song. "Offer up your best defense, but this is the end, this is the end of the innocence."
Bruce Hornsby plays the piano on this song-think he cowrote it too but dont hold me to that. If you havn't heard of him (as i seem to be the only one who has) you should get hold of a copy of his cds or something becausehe's very talented and his musics all similar to this song.
I really don't think this song means anything politically. I don't really see any places in the song that would point to that. It's just that some people can politicize dang near anything, and I figure that's the case here.
I really love this song. This song is really sad, or at least it is to me, because I can relate to it so much. I remember when "the days were long and rolled beneath a deep blue sky", but then as you get older you realize that "happily ever after fails" and life isn't as great as you used to think it was.
While I am not trying to over-sexualize everything, I have always taken this song to be about a lady loosing her virginity, as he says "You can lay your head back on the ground And let your hair fall all around me Offer up your best defense But this is the end This is the end of the innocence" but that may be waaaaaaaaaaay off base and, yes Bruce Hornsby is awesome! But then again I am a piano geek!
I love this song as well. It's so beautiful, i remember listening to it while I was about 7 and it meant so much to me then, and still today it's so great. I also agree with mayor menley, about a girl losing her virginity, but also with divorce possibly, with lawyers "The lawyers clean up all details", I could be off, but never the less, I love this song.